


Oceans Apart

by jez (jezebel)



Category: Queer as Folk (UK)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-20 14:09:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21282995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jezebel/pseuds/jez
Summary: Alcohol, 80's Music and Karaoke is the true recipe for love.(transferred from Yahoo Groups)
Relationships: Stuart Alan Jones/Vince Tyler
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	Oceans Apart

***

He'd been too late. Vince had thrown away his job, his career and gotten his mother in trouble with the law but in the end he had been too late. Some might say that he was sixteen years too late but really he felt as if the last two years had been leading up to something but he had missed the train and now Stuart was moving away. He had mentioned London but in his heart Vince knew this wouldn't be far enough for Stuart. Stuart was going to dematerialise, travel out and beyond the stars and Vince had thought that when the time came he would go with him. They would be Stuart and Vince forever. Now he knew that it wasn't to be.

None of the clubs felt the same without Stuart. Vince had stopped even looking for potential shags and instead just drank to hide the pain of losing his best friend. Alex tried but it just wasn't the same. No one could take Stuart's place.

"Come on, misery guts, you're getting as bad as Dane." Alex said, trying to cheer his mate up. "I reckon we should go down to Manto's. It's Karaoke night down there and I'm guaranteed a win."

Vince sighed. Alex would always win at Karaoke contests but not always because he was the best vocalist but because he was the biggest spectacle. Of course Stuart wouldn't be seen dead at a Karaoke competition. Vince shook his head and downed the rest of his drink. He couldn't live the rest of his life by what Stuart would and wouldn't do. The Rules According to Stuart Jones had already messed up enough of his life and Stuart had left him. Vince decided that it was about time that he started to do things that *he* wanted to do rather than what Stuart would do.

"Alright then." Vince said. "But you can buy the next round if you win."

Alex smiled and clapped his hands, reminding Vince of Alfie.

'No more thoughts about Stuart' Vince chided himself. He needed to move on with his life.

***

"Alright, girls, boys and girly-boys..." The compere said, garnishing him a few laughs. "I am looking for volunteers to sing for us. No, not you again Alice..." He said, causing Alexander to pout dramatically. "We need some fresh talent up here on stage."

"I'll do it." A drunken voice shouted from the bar. It was a straight girl who was out on her hen night, as if Canal Street was a risque place for them to go. The compere shook his head and then continued.

"What about your cute friend?" He asked, looking at Alex. "He looks as if he remembers a few of those golden oldies."

"Oh, thanks." Vince said, taking it as a compliment.

"You're like a fine wine." The compere said. "You'll only get better with age."

"Fuck off." Vince replied.

"Come on, sugar." He encouraged.

"Go on, Vince." Alex urged, wanting his friend to go on stage so that he could get a vicarious thrill given that he had been banned.

"Oh, alright." Vince said, although he didn't know why he was agreeing to it. It wasn't something that he would usually do, but he was supposed to be turning over a new leaf so he figured why not.

"Alright." The compere said as Vince walked to the stage and exchanged a few words with the man working the machine. The compere joined them and spoke a few words of his own to Vince in private before turning back to the audience.

"Okay, please give a warm welcome to Vince Tyler, singing the classic 80's one hit wonder Right Here."

The piano started to play and Vince stared nervously at the screen waiting for the words to appear over the picture of candles blowing softly in the breeze behind a gauzy backdrop.

"Ocean's apart day after day And I slowly go insane"

As Vince sung the first words his voice faltered a little, he had not thought of the reason that he had chosen this song.

"I hear your voice on the line But it doesn't stop the pain"

Yeah right, it wasn't like Stuart would phone him. He wouldn't even look back.

"If I see you next to never How can we say forever

Wherever you go Whatever you do I will be right here waiting for you Whatever it takes Or how my heart breaks I will be right here waiting for you

Oh, can't you see it baby You've got me going crazy

Wherever you go Whatever you do I will be right here waiting for you Whatever it takes Or how my heart breaks I will be right here waiting for you"

Vince felt the salty tears forming in his eyes as he sang the chorus again. That was how it had been for the last sixteen years. He had been waiting for Stuart, waiting for him to notice him, but now it was too late and he would never be with his friend again.

"I wonder how we can survive This romance But in the end if I'm with you I'll take the chance"

Vince sang the last verse and tried not to let the tears overwhelm him. 'romance' that was a joke. There was never any romance between he and Stuart. Stuart didn't do boyfriends.

Alex smiled at Vince, supporting him into the final chorus. There was a parting of the crowds but Vince was too busy looking at the words.

" Wherever you go Whatever you do I will be right here waiting for you"

Vince sang, not seeing the other person that was approaching the stage.

"Whatever it takes Or how my heart breaks I will be right here waiting for you"

As he sang the final words he felt arms around his waist and flinched at the thought that Alexander had invaded his private moment on stage, but when he saw the familiar silver bracelet he froze on the last words. Stuart took it over for him and repeated the last verse and chorus once again.

""I wonder how we can survive This romance But in the end if I'm with you I'll take the chance

Wherever you go Whatever you do I will be right here waiting for you Whatever it takes Or how my heart breaks I will be right here waiting for you"

Vince sobbed softly into Stuart's chest, not caring that half of Canal Street were watching them, and knew that he had been wrong. He had not been too late, he had been too early.

It had taken Stuart a while but finally he had realised that he didn't need the rest of the world. Everything that he wanted was waiting right there in Manchester for him all the time.

***

The End.


End file.
